


Fault

by mmmdraco



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-17
Updated: 2012-07-17
Packaged: 2017-11-10 03:10:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/461586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Momo got started with tennis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fault

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Konomi-sensei. Thanks!

Momoshiro taught himself a lot of the tennis that he knows (he's certain this is why he lost his Regulars spot to Inui). When he first began to play tennis, it was because he thought that all of the tennis players on the middle school team were cool. Around that time, he had taken his sister to a thrift store to look for something his mother could work with for her part in the school play. She was playing a table, so Momo wondered why they just didn't ask their aunt for one of her dresses... they *looked* like tablecloths, and they already had holes for the head!

At the thrift store, Momo helped his sister to look around a bit, then got distracted when he saw a small stack of used video games. He looked over them quickly, but didn't find anything worthwhile. However, as he was about to walk back toward his sister, something caught his eye. Was that...? He looked and smiled to himself. It was a tennis racket. From the looks of it, it was a relatively nice one. At the very least, it wasn't too scuffed, and it wasn't broken. Momo checked the price hesitantly. Only 300 yen?! Momo made a quick decision and decided to buy the racket. He smiled and went over to find his sister a tablecloth with a neckhole.

When they got home, Momo's mother saw his racket and questioned him about it. "What are you going to do with a tennis racket? You don't have anything to hit with it." She smiled. "Wait a minute, the rugs need beating." She smiled. "You can do that and I'll do the dishes tonight."

Momo nodded, and also realized that his mother had made a very valid point. He *didn't* have anything to hit with his racket. But, that... that could be changed quite easily.

Much later that evening, Momo snuck over to the forest by the tennis courts at the high school. They were located quite close to the woods and there was a hill that sloped downward from the fence to the forest. Momo smiled and delved into the darkness. When he emerged a few minutes later, he had four tennis balls with varying degrees of dirt on them. But, they would serve his purpose.

When Momo got home, he washed off the tennis balls and lay them on a towel to dry in his room. He would deal with them in the morning.

Momo woke up feeling refreshed and ready to do something... anything. It was Sunday, so there was no school to worry about, but he felt like he needed to get rid of some of his energy, and he wasn't even out of bed yet! When he sat up in bed to stretch, he saw his tennis balls. He smiled at them. He didn't come from a poor family, but his parents had taught him thrift and frugality. What they had, they had because they'd earned it and saved for it. So, they cut costs where they could because, with three children, things came up sometimes.

After getting dressed and having breakfast, Momo grabbed one of his tennis balls and his racket and was about to head out the door when he realized that he had no idea where to go. The school courts would be locked up for the day, and he wasn't sure where any other courts were. So, he looked around and realized that his garage would be the best place. His father's car was gone because he was out of town on a business trip, and the door was sufficiently offset that Momo foresaw no problems in hitting the ball at the wall and hitting it again over and over again with no problems until he looked as cool as those other guys on the middle school tennis team.

What Momo hadn't expected, however, was that the few items that littered the ground by the wall would get in his way. Plus, they were covered in spiderwebs from sitting there. So, of course, his ball went through them. Then, the ball would whiz past him and get lost in the chaos of storage behind him. He was running back and forth across the garage and moving things around to find it, and eventually stood, exhausted, in the middle of the garage before his mother came in to announce that lunch was ready. She looked at him, then looked around the garage, and smiled. "Well, you even cleaned the spiderwebs in here. What's up, Momo-chibi?"

Momo scowled at the nickname. He hadn't been little for several years now. "I'm practicing tennis, mother."

She smiled. "Good. You need a sport. All those hamburgers you eat! I wish I had your metabolism," she laughed, "wait, no. Forget that. If I had your metabolism, I'd have to eat all day long in order to keep my girlish figure. I'd be tired of lifting food to my mouth!" She walked over and gave Momo's head a motherly kiss. "You're a good boy, chibi. If you want to play tennis, we'll get you lessons."

"But, money..." Momo started.

"Money, nothing," replied his mother. "Tennis lessons aren't *that* expensive. Besides, you deserve it. You help out so much with your brother and sister."

Momo chewed his bottom lip in thought for a moment. "I guess I could take one and see if I even like it, right?"

"That's the spirit, chibi!" She pinched his cheek and smiled broadly. "Now, come on. Soup's on!"

It had gone quickly from there. There were lessons that Momo picked up very quickly. There were things to do to get ready for middle school. There was joining the tennis team. There was proving that he could be one of the best. It all happened quickly, but his style always held those small faults that showed that he started out for himself.

Momo suddenly remembered Inui asking him a few days ago how he'd mastered such powerful shots. Momo had answered seriously, "Beating rugs for my mother."

Not too long thereafter, Momo's mother came home from shopping one day to see that Momo and his teammates were in front of their house, practically concealed by the cloud of dust they were raising. She smiled, but didn't ask questions. But, she was certain she had more rugs somewhere...

The past didn't often catch up with Takeshi Momoshiro, but when it did, he was happier to recall the moments that led to who he was. He was now, without a doubt, a tennis player. Though, if that didn't ever pan out, he could probably clean rugs for a living. He was getting good at it now. But, as always, he had his own way of doing it, and that was just fine with him.


End file.
